Cambridge MP slams Government for homelessness crisis

Posted by Alex Mayer621pc on April 24, 2017

Speaking in the House of Commons today, Daniel Zeichner, MP for Cambridge, slammed the Housing Minister for the rise in homelessness in the city, which he said so saddens residents and is so hard for those without homes.

He said that in recent discussions with local homelessness charity Wintercomfort, it had been suggested that city Landlords are increasingly unwilling to let to people on housing benefit because of insecure employment. He suggested that cracking down on insecure employment, such as temporary and zero-hours contracts would help tackle the housing crisis.

Speaking outside the Chamber, he added: "The rising numbers sleeping on the streets of Cambridge are a direct consequence of Government failure since 2010. Sadly, I understand that we now even have people who work in college kitchens sleeping on the streets. It shouldn't be that way.

“When Labour was in power, we demonstrated that the often complex issues that lead to people sleeping outside can be tackled successfully. Now we have a new problem - too much insecure employment. Banning exploitative zero hours contacts is a key step in our plans to help Cambridge recover.”